Follow Your Dream: Kickstart Your Music Career

So you want to be a musician huh? Whether you’re part of a band, a flying solo singer, or you just play an instrument – whatever it is – you want more. It’s no longer enough to play in the basement for a couple of hours. You want the stage, the lights, the crowd cheering your name.

It’s a big leap, and it’s by no means going to be an easy ride, but what would be the point if it was?

It’s going to take a lot of work, and you’ll fail and get knocked down. The true art is being able to pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and try again.

Here’s how to make your dream a reality.

Open mic night

There are plenty of open mic nights that you can apply yourself to so have a look in your local bars, community centres and restaurants. You may or may not be required to pay a small fee, and then you just wait in line until it’s your turn. You get to watch other talent in your area and even meet like minded people that turn into lifelong friends. As scared as you may feel – it’s the start of something, and a change is on its way. So practise your ass off at home, pick a song (or two) that you play well and enjoy. Then rock up on stage and play until your heart’s content. This will be not only an incredible adrenaline rush, but it will work wonders for your confidence too.

If you really enjoyed it, go back again next week, and the week after, and so on. The more you show your face, the more people will start to recognise you, and before you know it, you’ll have your own fan base.

Create an album

The next step is to create your own album, or at least a single, showcasing your best song(s). Now it’s very important you use some top quality equipment so it sounds professional. It’s no good recording your piece on the voice recorder of your phone – you will be able to tell. Once you have something recorded and it sounds good, you’ll need a CD cover. Remember that there are tons of competition around, so if you’re going to do something, do it properly. Companies like Nationwide Disc are able to mass produce your product which is great if you’d like to try selling the CD, or even handing them out after your open mic night performances. This is a brilliant way to get your music out there, and if people enjoy it, they’ll be awaiting your next album to drop.

Now all that’s left to do is promote the hell out of yourself. Open a YouTube account, share your music through there. Be active on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, sharing your music sessions and behind the scenes footage with people. The bigger the following you’re able to get yourself – the more doors of opportunities will open. And when that happens, take every single one of them.